Position papers

Child Care Center Environmental Testing

As you are probably aware, Child Care Licensing Regulations will require child care centers to produce evidence that the child care environment does not pose a hazard to the children or staff based upon certified environmental tests conducted by the Department of Environmental Protection. Should the test indicate that a hazard does exist, remediation must be conducted in order to operate the program.

This new regulation presents a serious financial burden to child care programs, including the costs of testing and remediation and risks of closure. While the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children supports safe and healthy environments for children and staff, we object to the burden that this new regulation places on programs.

Child care programs are expected to somehow find the funds for testing and clean up. Child care is already under-funded and placing the burden of the cost on the families who use our services who already pay, in some cases, up to one third of their salaries on child care, is unconscionable. In the case of state subsidized child care, parents cannot absorb the cost through increased co-payments so a severe burden is placed upon these programs already unspeakably financially challenged.

The position of the New Jersey Association for the Education of Young Children is that the state must either provide funding to child care programs for testing, or use the model of lead paint inspection/risk assessment. The state, through an RFP, awarded a grant to an environmental agency to perform the lead paint inspection/risk assessment and picked up the tab for centers licensed prior to the effective date of the regulation.

In the case of remediation, grants or low-interest loans must be made available to licensed child care programs. Few programs have discretionary funds lying around for capital improvements, never mind environmental remediation. Surely the state can find funds for documented, substantiated improvements to licensed child care programs preparing our youngest children for school success and allowing families to work. Even better, place the burden of remediation on the source of the problem.

NJAEYC has presented our concerns to the Department of Children and Families and are working together with the NJ Child Care Advisory Council to meet with Commissioner Ryan to express our concerns. Please register your concerns with NJAEYC to mail@njaeyc.org  or to lcooke9867@aol.com.